Hokitika Guardian & Evening Star THURSDAY, APRIL 15th, 1920. SOUTH WESTLAND RAILWAY.

Hokitika Guardian, 15 April 1920, Page 2

Hokitika Guardian & Evening Star THURSDAY, APRIL 15th, 1920. SOUTH WESTLAND RAILWAY.

In Tuesday’s issue there was a reference to the point of view put forward by the Member for Temuka regarding the lack of essential railway communication to tap tho resources of the West Coast. Mr Burnett M.P., spoke enthusiastically about pushing on the Otira tunnel to completion, and then he made an excursion to the Westport district, in respect to which he urged the completion of the Buller railway connection with Inangaluia. This line is a national work, tapping as it will useful c oal fields which will- supply a commodity all outside parts of New Zealand are hungering for. This part of the Coast will be at one with M' Burnett and all others in urging the finishing of the short length of line to link up the Westport section with tho rest of the Westland section. What Is being said for the work adjacent to Westport applies with no less force to the South Westland railway. The extension of the line south of Ross Is in the same stupidly neglected state as the extension from Westport, a- d both are caused by the remissness of ■the Reform Government! which las penalised the West Coast so unfairly in regard to railway works. The South "Westland railway beyond Ross was authorised in 1911 both by act of Parliament and by special appropriation. The work was begun actually so far es a survey was concerned, and some expenditure out of the parliamentary vote actually took place. -Then the Minister of Public Works (Sir Wm Fraser) without a word of explanation stopped the work, and dropped the vote out of future estimates. What was more unfair and partial still, he and the Government with which he was afssociated quietly went on with other railway works, works which, were

actually authorised by .the Reform Government- after it. cajhe ipto power. It. was acts like these that gave the Reform Government so unpleasant a record to our mind, and although the years have gone by since the party did tics district, so great an injustice, no > ffort •has been made to make amends. That the railway .would be a payable proposition is borne out by the fact that private enterprise tired' of waiting for public action, has spent thousands of pounds in putting in a railway of its own for transport, purposes. 'Hie scope of tile pi'ivate lino, of course, is limited, and its carrying capacity is restricted. It can save only its own ends and the developments going oil soulli demand the extension to the main line far beyond the limits of the privatelyowned line. With the great tracts of forest .country to ibe tapped there will be a great yojume of trade to repay the Government for the construction of the lino and to open up the country. It is time therefore to - till.st the sympathies of outside men like Mr Burnett who can see 'hat the district is languishing for the lack of proper and efficient means of tronsoort. The extension of the South Westland railway is one of the next large projects to he taken up, and judging l>y experience, the people cannot begin the ag'tntion for the work too soon. It is unnecessary to refer to the latent resources of South Westland. There will be a. lucrative traffic for the fine qucc it serves the territory, and the people should set about convincing the Government of this palpable fact.'

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